Starting tomorrow, Xbox 360 owners who missed out on getting a key for Bizarre Creations' Blur beta will be able to download and play the game for free. Speaking with Kotaku, Bizarre Creations' lead designer Gareth Wilson cited the bigger-than-expected demand for closed beta keys as the reason for this decision.
The developers have apparently been "sneaking on to see what people think of it". Wilson has been delighted with positive response to the beta thus far. The marriage of Project Gotham's graphics, Burnout's over-the-top racing and Mario Kart's use of power-ups has certainly proven popular with many gamers so far. The extension of the beta to the general public will allow a much greater audience to enjoy the game's unique, frenetic multiplayer action.
But why no love for the PS3 and PC? The game is due out on those platforms at the same time as the 360 version, after all. More after the break. Read More

It's been nearly a year since the rumors, but now it's official. Criterion Games, the UK developer behind the testosterone-fueled Burnout series, is in the middle of development for the next entry in the Need for Speed series.
EA Games President Frank Gibeau explained, "In recent years, we failed to put adequate resources behind the franchise and, as a result, quality suffered.
"Next year's Need for Speed has been under development now for some time at our award-winning Criterion Studio."
Presumably this means we won't be seeing a new Burnout title any time soon. The Need for Speed and Burnout franchises have always targeted different demographics, with NFS usually going for grittier, real-world settings and Burnout a loose, arcadey crash-fest.
With NFS: Shift's successful foray into the simulation arena, maybe EA is trying to appeal to fans of the gritty and the arcadey in this new effort due out in 2010. Read More

Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot to report on in the world of Xbox Live updates this week. The most notable release is probably the new DLC for BioWare's sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect. The new content will be heavy on the combat and take up about 2 to 3 hours of your time. You can grab it for 400 Points. In addition to that, Microsoft continues to roll out full downloadable 360 games with their Games on Demand service. This week they have added two racing games, Burnout Revenge and Need For Speed: ProStreet, and FIFA 09.
Keep on moving past the break for the full list of releases. Read More

As was rumored back in February, Need for Speed is back. Again. EA announced today that Need for Speed SHIFT will be hitting store shelves September 22 of this year in America, and September 17 in Europe. Set for release on the 360, PS3, PSP, and PC, EA promises that this game will indeed shift the Need for Speed franchise into a new gear, giving the series a much needed change of direction. "With Need for Speed SHIFT, we set out to create a racing game that pushes the genre and delivers something never before seen in a Need for Speed title," said Patrick Soderlund, Senior Vice President at EA Games Europe. "By focusing on the driver's experience through the first-person view, we are able to capture the high-speed intensity and gripping emotions of racing." Read More

When Criterion Games launched Burnout Paradise back in January of 2008, the developers promoted the title as more than just a racing game, it was a platform. I personally shrugged off all of these comments as something that would never happen. Boy was I wrong.
Here we sit, over a year later, and Paradise City is as alive as ever. The addition of new cars, motorcycles, a new island, and even a day/night cycle, have made this the best supported game of this console generation. Just like any good infomercial, at that split second that you are finally ready to turn away, you hear, "but wait, there's more..."
Could it be that cops might start to populate the streets of Paradise City? Read More